Sigourney followed the success of Alien to star opposite Mel Gibson in A Year Of Living Dangerously (1982), a drama about a love affair set in Indonesia during the overthrow of President Sukarno.

Then in 1984, the New York born actress returned to the sci-fi genre to play Dana Barrett in 1984 cult classic Ghostbusters, working alongside Bill Murrary, Dan Ackroyd and Harold Ramis, giving a delightfully bonkers portrayal of a possessed woman.

Sigourney was placed in a full body cast, attached to a post for the infamous floating scene - a trick the director, Ivan Reitman, picked up during his Broadway days.

In 1986 Ellen Ripley returned to the big screen in Aliens, and Sigourney landed a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her performance. The film also won Academy Awards for its sound and visual effects.

Click below to watch the heart-stopping trailer

Video Loading

Video Unavailable

Click to playTap to play

The video will start in 8Cancel

Play now

Two years later, Sigourney won critical acclaim for her performance as Dian Fossey in 1988's Gorillas in the Mist, based on the true story of naturalist Dian Fossey and her work in Rwanda to save the Mountain Gorillas from poachers. Sigourney won the Golden Globe for Best Actress.

She won another Golden Globe - this time for Best Supporting Actress - for 1988 romantic comedy Working Girl, in which she starred with Melanie Griffith and Harrison Ford.

In 1989 it was back to the firehouse for Ghostbusters II, where Sigourney reprised her role as Dana Barrett, now a mother, and Peter Vekman's (Bill Murray) love interest.

Then in 1992, Sigourney reprised another much-loved character - Ellen Ripley for Alien 3. This time the sci-fi character battled the gruesome alien on a prison planet - with a fiery finale.

In 1995 Sigourney played agoraphobic psychologist Helen Hudson in tense crime thriller Copycat, about a serial killer who mimics notorious murderers from the past.

And in 1997, the sci-fi queen defied the plot of Alien 3 to return as Ellen Ripley in Alien: Ressurection, her final film in the Alien franchise.

Taking a step away from sci-fi, Sigourney worked with Jenifer Love-Hewitt, Ray Liotta and Gene Hackman in comedy Heartbreakers, about a mother-daughter duo who con wealthy men out of their money.

She teamed up with Harry Potter star Alan Rickman for 2006's Snow Cake, an emotional drama about the friendship between a high functioning autistic woman and a man who has been left traumatised after a car accident. Sigourney prepared for the role of Linda Freeman by spending time with a high functioning autistic woman, Ros Blackburn.

Did you recognise the voice of the ship's computer in Pixar smash hit Wall-E (2008)? You should have - it was Sigourney! Her dulcet tones voiced Axiom - instead of fighting aliens on board a spaceship, Sigourney got to run one in the Disney film.

Sigourney returned to sci-fi for another James Cameron blockbuster in 2009, playing Dr Grace Augustine in Avatar, and has confirmed that she will return to the role in Avatar 2, due for release in 2016. This time, her character wanted to bond with the alien species, not destroy it - showing a softer side to the actress known for her portrayal of alien ass-kicker Ellen Ripley.

Video Loading

Video Unavailable

Click to playTap to play

The video will start in 8Cancel

Play now

Protecting her crown as the Queen of Sci-Fi, the Avatar star went on to appear in Paul (2011), written by self-confessed sci-fi geeks Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. In an interview with Graham Norton, she described the film as 'a love letter to sci-fi fans'. She said: "I jumped at the chance to be in it. To find a comedy that also pays homage to sci-fi is a dream come true."

Her last major movie role, ahead of the release of the Avatar sequels, was in horror film The Cabin in the Woods (2012), playing sinister puppet master The Director.

In the same year, Sigourney switched the small screen, taking the lead in American drama Political Animals as US Secretary of State Ellen Barrish.

Sigourney has said in the past she feels Ellen Ripley's story is unfinished - and that she would like to do one more film to resolve the character's storyline.

So could we see another Aliens film, as well as the follow-ups to Avatar?

Either way, one thing is clear - Sigourney will always be sci-fi's leading lady. Long live the Queen.